In-class writing Tips and Suggestions

Budget Your time By far the most important aspect of timed writing is knowing how to manage the time you have.

Budget your time The timed writing exam should be thought of as a timeline, with three distinct parts: Beginning: Prewriting End: Proofreading Middle: Writing

Prewriting Spend about 5 – 10 minutes planning what you are going write. 1. Read and re-read the question. Make sure you know what is being asked. Identify how many parts there are to the question 2. Make an outline for the structure of you essay. NEVER “plan as you go.” 3. Have your notes & other materials prepared.

Prewriting Understanding Key Words on a Prompt “Describe” : Reader needs visuals and mental images, this means lots of adjectives. Weaker essays tend to be vague. “Compare” : Often redundantly partnered with “contrast.” Analyzing similarities and differences between two or more items. Weaker essays tend to not follow a logical structure. “Explain” : Providing the meaning of something. Typically answers the question “why?” Weaker essays tend to default to simply defining or describing. “Argue”: Present a point of view on a controversial topic. Weaker essays tend to be wishy-washy. “Analyze” : Break down the parts of a topic and explain those parts. Weaker essays tend to be shallow; not addressing enough of the topic “Discuss” : Take a broad view of topic and provide a generalized overview of the topic. May include summary and analysis. Weaker essays tend not have enough scope “Evaluate’: Give your opinion on the value of subject. Discuss strengths and weaknesses. Weaker essays tend to be unbalanced Expect to see questions with combinations of above key words.

Writing The bulk of your writing time should be spent doing the actual work of writing. Expect to write for 60% of the total time. It is important that you understand the expectations of a time writing. They are different from a take-home essay. - Instructors understand that you are essentially writing a “rough draft.” - Strive for clarity over cleverness. Avoid trying to “sound clever” by using words you think will impress the reader. - If grammar and usage are issues for you, write shorter sentences. Remember, you are trying to communicate as clearly as possible

Writing: Organization Select an appropriate number of supporting points, depending both on your argument and your allotted writing time Present them in a clear order Put your main supporting points into separate paragraphs

Writing: Organization Order of complexity: Ideas are ordered from simple to complex MOST Complexity: Bananas are an economic benefit to developing countries as a cash crop TOPIC: Benefits of Bananas HIGH Complexity: Banana tree fibers are useful in textile industry and for making paper AVERAGE Complexity: Bananas have many nutritional benefits LEAST Complexity: Banana peels are very useful for practical jokes

Writing: Organization Other “orders” Order of familiarity: Ideas are ordered from most familiar to least TOPIC: Five important American Presidents of 18th & 19th Century Washington  Lincoln Jefferson Jackson  Cleveland Order of audience appeal: Points are ordered from "safe" ideas to challenging ones TOPIC: Alternative fuels sources Solar  Wind  Bio-fuels  Geothermal  Nuclear  Kittens Order of Comparison: Do this one on the board; you’re running out of space!

Proofreading/Editing Do not expect to be able to make a lot of corrections. Catch the big, obvious mistakes Do not try to “move paragraphs around” with arrows. Do not use Wite Out. If you need to remove a line of text, cross it out completely

What you need to bring 8.5” x 11” bluebook (available at the bookstore) Spare pens (blue or black ink) Any notes or texts you feel will help you respond to the questions including dictionaries

In-Class Writing Practice Discuss the top five inventions of all time. Describe what they are and how they are used. Argue why you feel they are the most important and specific note which of the five is the signal most important invention.